OBAMA, TURKISH PM WILL DISCUSS KARABAKH – AZERBAIJANI MP
Tamilla Sencaply

news.az
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Fazail Agamali News.Az interviews Fazail Agamali, chairman of the
Ana Vatan (Motherland) Party and deputy of the Milli Majlis.

US President Barack Obama will meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on 7 December. What do you think will they discuss?

The meeting will focus not only on cooperation between Turkey and the
United States but also regional issues. Turkey has recently intensified
efforts and is seeking to strengthen not only its relations with
neighbouring countries but also its influence in the Caucasus.

People in Turkey understand that opening the borders with Armenia
should run in parallel with the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,
otherwise, they may lose the Caucasus. Ankara officials understand
that they will not move further without the settlement of this issue,
as this may create a number of problems for them in future. I think
special attention will be paid to the Karabakh issue during the
meeting. Naturally it is difficult to predict the outcome of the
meeting.

Could this meeting be decisive for the Karabakh settlement?

We hope Turkey will stick to its positions, and that statements made
in Azerbaijan’s parliament and at meetings in Ankara that it would
not open the border until the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are
liberated will come true.

Negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict have recently
intensified. Can this conflict be settled in the near future?

It is difficult to set a date or time when Armenia may withdraw
from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. After all, despite
the negotiations Armenia is sticking to its position and in these
circumstances there is only only thing we can do – Azerbaijan should
be prepared for a military solution to the conflict.

President Ilham Aliyev has said many times that the country should be
prepared for war. Armenia is an occupier, but it is regrettable that
the leading countries of the world accept this and close their eyes to
it. In turn, Armenia makes use of it. The processes in the world show
that ultimately we will have to settle the Karabakh conflict by war.

To this end, there is a need to strengthen our army and its material
and technical potential.